Candles and manufacture thereof

ABSTRACT

A candle having a shaped, thermoplastic blend with a wick extending therethrough. The thermoplastic blend includes ethylcellulose and at least one glyceride. Preferably the blend is transparent and preferably it also incorporates a minor amount of an additive, such as an oxa- or oxo- group containing compound, or even a heavy petroleum hydrocarbon.

United States Patent [1 1 Tsaras Oct. 29, 1974 CANDLES AND MANUFACTURETHEREOF Elefterios Tsaras, 92455 Irving Park Rd., Schiller Park, Ill.60176 Filed: Oct. 30, 1973 Appl. No.: 411,050

Inventor:

US. Cl. 431/288, 44/7.5, 44/7 B Int. Cl. F23d 3/16 Field of Search44/7.5, 7 B, 7 C, 7 D;

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1965 Mohick 44/7 B 3,645,7052/l972 Miller et a]. 431/288 Primary Examiner-Carroll B. Dority, Jr.

Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Hill, Gross, Simpson, Van Santen, Steadman,Chiara & Simpson [5 7] ABSTRACT 23 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures GLYCERIDEADDITIVE COMPOUND OILY HOT MIXTURE ET HYL CE LLULOSE HOMOOENEOUS VlSCOUSl l l l HOT MELT WICK MOLDED TRANSPARENT CANDLE PATENTEHINII 29 m43344.706

Fig. 1

Fig 3 GLYCERIDE ADDITIVE COMPOUND 'OILY HOT MIXTURE HOMOGENEOUS VISCOUS-,J ETHYL CELLULOSE HOTMELT MOLDED TRANSPARENT CANDLE WICK CANDLES ANDMANUFACTURE THEREOF BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Historically, a candleis formed of a solid or semisolid body of tallow, or wax, especiallyparaffin wax or bees wax, containing imbedded therein a loosely twistedfibrous (e.g., cotton or linen) wick which when burned gave light,although candles having a liquid 1 body are known.

More recently, efforts have been made to find materials other thantallow or wax which could be used for the body portion of a solid orsemi-solid candle. The incentive for such efforts has come from avariety of sources. For one thing, the currently rising cost and andseamingly increasingly limited availability of paraffin wax helpsgenerate a desire to find substitutes suitable for use in candle bodymanufacture strong. For another thing, conventional tallows and waxesare inherently opaque or translucent, not transparent, which limits andeven prevents their utilization in a solid or semisolid body portion ofa transparent candle, such as is desired for esthetic reasons, orspecial decorative effects, and the like.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION There has now been discovered a new andvery useful candle construction having a solid or semi-solid body whosebody portion can be fabricated of readily available and economicalmaterials other than tallow or wax, and which can be substantiallytransparent. There have also now been discovered methods for making suchcandle construction.

The candles of this invention can be easily and simply manufacturedusing commonly available equipment.

A candle of this invention can be made in a form such that the bodyportion thereof is comprised of combustible solid or semi-solidthermoplastic material which can be, and preferably is substantiallytransparent, so that a wide variety of candle applications anddecorative effects become possible and practical.

An aim of this invention is to provide compositions suitable for use inthe body portion of such candles.

Other and further aims, objects, purposes, advantages, utilities, andfeatures will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading ofthe present specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. I shows a side elevational view of one embodiment of a candle ofthe present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a similar view of another embodiment; and

FIG. 3 is a simple flow diagram illustrating one technique for makingcandles of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention is directed to a candlecomprised of a body having therein a wick. The body is preferablyshaped, as by molding or the like, and comprises on a I weight percentbasis a preferably substantially uniform, thermoplastic blend of I. fromabout 6 to 55 weight percent ethyl cellulose (preferably about to 45weight percent) and 2. from about 45 to 94 weight percent of at leastone glyceride (preferably about 55 to weight percent).

which blend is adapted to be in a solid or semi-solid fonn at roomtemperatures and pressures.

The wick in such a candle is combustible and can be constructedsimilarly to those used in prior art candles. A suitable wick canobviously be formed of many different materials and compositions, butpresently pref- 0 erably comprises a plurality of discrete combustibleorganic fibrous members disposed in generally adjacent relationship toone another. A typical wick thus can be comprised of organic fibers ofnatural or even synthetic origin which are stable to conditions used inmaking a candle of this invention and which fibers are preliminarilytwisted, woven, braided or the like (e.g., cotten, linen, flax,polyester, etc.). A wick is adapted to I. be impregnated by a candlebody blend used in this invention when such a blend is in a heated,liquified form, and

2. provide capillary action, or equivalent, for such a I heatedliquified form of such blend.

Preferably, a wick extends longitudinally through one such thermoplasticbody. More than a single wick may be used in spaced relationship to eachother in a single candle body used in this invention, although it isusually convenient to employ a single wick member centrally disposed ina shaped candle body. One can use a type of wick which has a wire-likemetallic member extending therethrough among the organic fibers, such asa small lead wire, or the like. The composition of the metal therein,together with the cross-sectional size thereof, are preferably such thatthis member melts as the product candle incorporating such burns. Theamount of metal thus generated is preferably insufficient to interferewith the normal, desired functioning of such candle.

In a candle of this invention the combination of the body portion andthe wick is such that, when an upper end of said wick is in a generallyvertical configuration in said body and is ignited, said wick burns witha generally luminous flame, and this ignited wick is adapted to combustgradually, but preferably substantially completely, both said body andsaid wick.

Most preferably, a candle of this invention has a body which istransparent, or substantially so. A semi-hazy candle body can becomesubstantially completely or partially (in the region of the wick) clearduring burning. In such body the ethyl cellulose is preferablysubstantially completely dissolved in the glyceride. Such bodycharacteristically is in a solid or semi-solid condition whose viscosityis at least such that it cannot be poured, as from a water-glass sizedcontainer at room temperature and pressure. Preferably such body is atleast sufficiently rigid to support itself in a free standing,unsupported condition in a candle product of this invention.

The Glycerides Glycerides are esters of glycerol. Glycerides useful inthis invention can be partial glycerides (e.g., monoor diglycerides),but triglycerides are generally'preferred. Preferred triglycerides foruse in this invention have molecular weights above about 650. Glyceridesoccur in all forms of animal and vegetable life. Triglycerides of fattyacids in which all the fatty acid radicals are alike are called simpletriglycerides. Most natural fats contain only a minor percentage ofsimple triglycerides, and consist mainly of mixed triglycerides, whichhave two or three different kinds of fatty acid combined in a singlemolecule. When only one or two of the hydroxyl groups of a glycerinemolecule are esterified with fatty acid, the resulting glycerides arecalled monoglycerides and diglycerides, respectively. There are twotypes of monoglycerides, since the fatty acid radical must be attachedeither at the end or at the middle of the glycerol residue. There arefour types of diglyceride structures, simple and mixed, with twopossible positions in each case for the unesterified hydroxyl.Preferably monoglycerides are used in combination with di or triglycerides in this invention.

Triglycerides are found in seeds. Examples suitable for use in thisinvention include com, peanut, (groundnut), cottonseed, soybean,rapeseed, coconut, olive, linseed, (flaxseed), sunflower sesame, palm,palmkernel, castor (presently most preferred), Chinawood (tung), and thelike.

Glycerides may be classified by any convenient means, such as accordingto their ability to form dry films by oxidation and polymerization onexposure to air, or according to the specific fatty acids from whichthey are derived.

In terms of drying capacity, the principal glyceride oils can be groupedas follows:

(Linolenic-linoleic types). Linseed,

Palm. Date.

The glycerides of Groups ll and II] are a preferred class of glyceridesfor use in this invention.

As those skilled in the art appreciate, the most abundant of theunsaturated fatty acid in glycerides are ol eic, linoleic, andlinolenic, which are quite distinctive acids because of having one, twoand three double bonds, respectively, per molecule. Castor oil is anexception in that it comprises typically about 80 to 90 weight percentricinoleic acid which is an IS-carbon atom monocarboxylic acid with adouble bond in the 9-10 position and a hydroxyl group in the l2 carbonatom position. Among the saturated acids, palmitic is predominant,accompanied usually by a small and not highly significant amount ofstearic. For present purposes, glycerides are preferably characterizedby the specific fatty acids incorporated thereinto (and from which theyare usually derived). As used herein, the term fatty acid" includes theentire homologous series of normal, odd and even numbered aliphaticacids, homologs and isomers of the unsaturated acids and varioussubstituted acids, from, for examples, acetic to noctatriacontanoic (C HCOOH). However, for practical purposes, it is preferred to employ, inglycerides used in the present invention, fatty acids containing fromabout four to 25 carbon atoms per molecule and more preferably fromabout 12 to 22 carbon atoms per molecule. Glycerides containing lowerfatty acids (e.g., certain fatty acids containing below about 12 carbonatoms per molecule) tend to produce in product candles undesirable odorsduring burning thereof.

One presently much preferred triglyceride is castor oil, which tends toform, when used as the sole component with ethyl cellulose, relativelysoft, relatively nonbrittle candle bodies. Except for linseed oil andpossibly a few other glycerides, most other glycerides tend to formharder and more brittle candle bodies. Also castor oil seems to resistoxidation during aging in candles of this invention.

One presently preferred class of triglycerides whose members behavesomewhat similarly in the present invention comprises corn oil, soyabean oil, and safflower oil and like oils. Castor oil in combinationwith ethyl cellulose has the capacity to form two-component single-phasecompositions which are well suited for use in the shaped body portion ofa candle of the type of this invention; such shaped body portionscharacteristically produce little or no sweating during combustion in acandle and have long storage ability.

Castor oil and such preferred class of corn oil, safflower oil, and soyabean oil is characterized by being in the form (at room conditions) oflight yellow, clear, oily liquids. They can have a faint characteristicodor and taste except for castor oil which is available commercially inodorless or nearly odorless, forms. Odorless, or nearly odorless suchoils are preferred. They also have a density d in the range of about0.914 to 0.980, a saponification number in the range from about 170 to205, an iodine number in the range of about to 150. They usually andpreferably contain not more than about 5 weight percent (total weightbasis) of unsaponifiable matter. Some glyceride oils used in this groupmay have an acidic additive therein, owing to their method ofmanufacture. For example, while higher acid number corn oils are known(e.g., having acid numbers greater than two, for example), those skilledin the art will appreciate that such higher acid number corn oils have atendency to contain more than a single type of glyceride component andalso nonglyceride components.

All glycerides, with the possible exception of castor oil, or somecombination of castor oil with another glyceride, are presentlygenerally somewhat prone, when combined only with an ethyl cellulose andused in a candle body in accord with the teachings of this invention, todisplay, when in such a two-component system, a tendency to exude,sweat, or bleed the glyceride oil from the candle body composition aswhen being combusted in a lighted candle, or even, sometimes, when theproduct candle is in storage, particularly for prolonged periods. Inaddition, such a two-component system can display an initial tendency toembrittlement, which is generally undesirable from the standpoint ofcandle handling, storing and shipping, but later in storage, theembrittlement tends to gradually diminish.

Mixtures of different glycerides are desirable as a means of obtainingsome particular intended result, such as a lower cost for startingmaterials, or as a technique for using generally less desirableglycerides with more desirable glycerides, or as a technique forobtaining special aromatic effects during burning of a product candle,or as a technique for avoiding or as a means for minimizing oilbleeding, or the like. For example, from about 1 to 30 weight percent ofat least one glyceride oil selected from the group consisting ofsafflower oil, corn oil, soybean oil and olive oil mixed with a balanceup to weight percent (e.g., 70 to 99 wt. percent of a given compositionof castor oil provides a useful class of glyceride mixtures for use inthis invention. Olive oil, for example, by itself used as the glyceridetends to produce candle body compositions which are somewhat brittle andsemi-opaque; yet, in such a combination with castor oil, useful anddesirable candle body compositions characteristically result.

Glycerides which are liquid at room temperature and pressure aregenerally preferred for use in making candles of this invention,although amounts of up to about 30 weight percent of glycerides whichare solid at such conditions, such as hydrogenated glycerides, cangenerally be incorporated with such a liquid glyceride and the preferredtransparent candles of this invention can still be produced.

In general, heat treated glycerides of the drying oil type appear to begenerally less desirable for use in this invention than are thecorresponding raw glycerides. However, the opposite situation mayprevail with respect to glycerides of the semi-drying oil type.

The Ethyl Cellulose Ethyl cellulose is a cellulose ether made, forexample, by reacting ethyl chloride with alkali cellulose. Any one ormore of a wide variety of different such ethyl celluloses is useful inthis invention.

The structure most widely accepted for the cellulose molecule, as thoseskilled in the art appreciate, is a chain of B-anhydroglucose unitsjoined together by ac etal linkages. Each anhydroglucose unit has threereplaceable-OH groups, all or a part of which may be replaced withethoxy units. Complete substitution of all three-OH groups gives atriethyl ether having a substitution value of 3, or 54.88 per centethoxyl. The completely substituted triethyl cellulose has little valuein the present invention because it lacks thermoplasticity and haslimited compatibility and solubility.

Preferred ethyl celluloses for use in this invention have a substitutionvalue between about 2.15 and 2.60 ethoxyl groups per anhydroglucoseunit, or about 43 to 50 per cent ethoxyl content. More preferred ethylcelluloses have about 45.0 to 49.0 percent ethoxyl content (same totalethyl cellulose weight percent basis).

Similarly, the ethyl cellulose used in this invention can have a verylarge molecular weight, but a preferred class of ethyl cellulosematerials has a molecular weight such that the viscosity thereof rangesfrom about 3 to 350 centipoises when measured in a 5 weight percentconcentration at C. in an 80:20 toluene/ethanol solution using a sampledried for minutes at 100C. More preferred ethyl celluloses have aviscosity of from about 50 to 300 centipoises when so measured.Different viscosity types of starting ethyl cellulose can be blended toproduce a product ethyl cellulose of a desired viscosity, using theArrhenius equation which relates viscosity and concentration, for use inmaking candles of this invention.

One class of ethyl celluloses which is now preferred for use in thepresent invention combusts without leaving substantially any ash. Such amaterial is available commercially, for example, the material sold thetrade designation K-200 from Hercules, Inc. of Wilmington, Del., andsuch a material can be made by the following procedure:

About 100 grams of ethyl cellulose are mixed and wetted with 2 liters ofdeionized, or preferably distilled water, after which about 20 cubiccentimeters of glacial acetic acid are added and mixed therewith. Themixture is steeped for 2 to 3 hours at a temperature in the range offrom about 60 to 80C., and then the aqueous phase is decanted. Theremaining solids are repeatedly washed with water to remove all aceticacid, and then these washed solids are dried in an oven at about 105Cuntil completely dry. Such procedure serves to remove substantially allsodium ions from the ethyl cellulose.

6 Additives Preferably, a candle body of this invention has additionallyincorporated thereinto preferably uniformly an amount ranging from 0 upto about 40 weight percent, or even somewhat higher (total candle bodyweight basis), of at least one compound selected from the groupconsisting (0) organic compounds containing at least one =C-O-group orat least one =C=O (e.g., at least one oxa or oxo group) and from about 7through 50 carbon atoms per molecule, and (b) viscous petroleumhydrocarbons containing at least about 15 carbon atoms per molecule.Organic compounds of such type (a) have the carbon atom adjacent theoxygen atom bonded to one or more atoms, such as especially carbon. Suchan additive compound is additionally further characterized by beingsoluble in corn oil at the rate of 10 parts additive per parts corn oiland by having when so dissolved in corn oil the capacity to dissolveethyl cellulose in such corn oil solution at the rate of about 20 partsby weight of such ethyl cellulose having an ethoxyl content in the rangefrom about 45.0 to 49.0 weight percent total ethyl cellulose basis per100 parts by weight of such corn oil solution at about C. within a timeinterval of about 15 minutes (.with mixing). The quantity of any givenadditive compound used in any given candle body composition ispreferably so chosen as not to interfere with the normal and desiredproperties of the product candle. Usually, and more preferably, thetotal amount of such additive compound(s) employed in a given candlebody falls in the range from about 3 to 20 weight percent (total candlebody weight basis).

Such an additive compound functions as a sort of plasticizer with one ormore of the following capacities: Hardness control agent; clarificationcontrol agent; dissolution rate accelerator (or dissolution timeshortener) of the ethyl cellulose in the glyceride, combustion controlagent; oil exudation or sweating control agent; or the like. Thus, suchan additive compound can either strengthen or soften a candle body,depending upon concentration, can lessen the tendency of a candle bodyto exude oil during burning or storage, can shorten the dissolution timeof ethyl cellulose in glyceride and thus reduce and minimizediscoloration in a' candle body caused by the initial heating anddissolution of ethyl cellulose in glyceride, can contribute to theclarification desired in a dissolved blend of ethyl cellulose andglyceride, and/or the like.

One suitable class of additive compounds is characterized by the genericformula where:

R, is a hydrocarbon radical containing from about 5 through about 37carbon atoms and X is selected from the group consisting of hydroxyl,carboxyl, the radical theadicar" and the radical 8 --CH;CHi k0I-I wherek is an integer of from about 4 through 18; in this class, a formula 3compound can include a polyethylene, or a polypropylene, or a mixedpolyolefin chain terminating the ends of the dicarboxylic acid type maishydrogen, or the radical lenal' Yet another suitable class of additivecompounds includes the polyolefin glycols, such as those of polyethl ll)ylene, polypropylene or mixed systems.

Although polyolefin glycols havmg a molecular n and m are each integersof from about 1 through weight of about 200 are compatible as additives,these 50 and materials have a tendency to be hydroscopic and may R ishydrogen or a hydrocarbon radical Containi ventually absorb into acandle body sufficient moisfrom about 5 through 20 Carbon atoms turefrom the atmosphere to result in generally unde- R, and also R can eachbe a straight or a branched Sued effect after maflufacturechain, andcontain cyclic hydrocarbon structures, and A T051" and aclducts areknown to 9 R and R can each be saturated or unsaturated. R and hlghmolecular welghl acld Fomponems and E R can each contain one or severalfunctional groups, cllmstance m y pl usual charactfn'lstlceflly such ashydroxyl or carboxyl. high compatibility with an ethylcellulose/triglyceride Another suitable class of additive compounds ischarmlxture- The m 13 true f the nfltural resins Such as acterized bythe generic formula gum, gum elemi, vmsol (a pine resin), and the like.Al-

though many natural gums are compatible with ethyl cellulose, only a feware compatible with both ethyl cel- (2) O f lulose and glyceride incombination. An example of this 2 type of incompatibility is the gumpontianac. mo on, The compatibility of phenolic resins with candle bodycompositions is somewhat different; many of h them are compatible, butthey tend to discolor on heatw h I R f I l d ing, and they also tend toproduce candle flames that f t s f 2 m g smoke. Styrenated alkyds arecompatible also, but likef}; l g i mug t l d wise are prone to producecandle flames that smoke. f Se g an f t ate i are l Typically, not alladditives are useful over the entire ere mem 0 t e ormu a( Compoun eabove indicated weight percentage ranges because of various undesiredside effects sometimes produced by f particular additives in particularcandle body systems. cH,-

A For example, certain additives if used ll'l relatively high amountscan sometimes produce a candle body which chain can be straight orbranched, and may sometimes ignites and burns as a sort of torch (calledherein the include unsaturated moieties. R can be the radical of torcheffect"). Illustrations of such additives in particthe type ular candlebodies are shown in Table 1 below.

'rAnru l Estimated Maximum Material weight percent (Iommenr (total)usable IMMWMFWM fatty alcohols (e.g. isostear- 2O (1) a second additiveuuct] in combination yl alcohol) therewith apparently permits use ofamounts less than such 20 weight percent withot't such flammabilityfatty acids (e.g.isostearic acid) 20 (2) some plasticizers whencompatible when used in combination therewith apparently permit use ofamounts less than such 2C weight percent without such flammabllitvDiburvl phthnlate l0 Abietvlnlcohol 20.0 (3) catches fire Glycerol esterof Rosin 10.0 (ilvct-rol (.Stur of Rosin 40% (4) very hard structure,smokes heavily when burning t;lvct-rol ester of Rosin 20 (5) compositionbleeds oil badly within 24 isostcnrlc acid 10 hours. There is nosynergism between acids and Rosinesters. blonvI-phcnol-(polyeth0xy) 40%(6) good plastic structure, light color, ethanol catches fire Rosinalcohol (including 40% (7) excellent light colored structure, butablctyl alcohol) catches fire and bleeds oil in 24 hours.

Footnotes for Table l:

I. The glyceride used here was castor oil.

2. The composition also included 15 wt. percent K200 type ethylcellulose from Hercules, with the balance up to 100 weight percent beingcorn oil.

3. Composition included 20 percent ethyl cellulose and 40 percentsafflower oil (100 weight percent basis).

4. Composition included 15 percent ethyl cellulose and 45 percentsafflower oil (lOO weight percent basis).

5. Composition included 15 percent ethyl cellulose and 55 percentsafflower oil (lOO weight percent basis).

6. Composition 15 percent ethyl cellulose and 45 percent corn oil (100weight percent basis).

7. Composition included 15 percent ethyl cellulose, 45 percent corn oil(100 weight percent basis).

The torch effect is eliminatable either by using a torch effect-proneadditive at a level which does not cause this effect or by using adifferent such additive altogether, as respects a given candle body.

As a class, the well-known organophosphates appear to be generallycompatible with the ethyl cellulose/- glyceride candle body compositionsused in this invention. Because of their (known) flame flow retardantproperties, such organophosphates can be employed to supress such atorch effect in a candle body of this invention. Suitableorganophosphates include triphenyl phosphate, tricresyl phosphate,crysel diphenyl phosphate and the like. Usually amounts less than aboutor even 10 weight percent thereof (total candle body weight basis) aresufficient, provided the amount of the flame-causing additive present ina given candle body composition is not large enough to overcome thesuppressant effect of the quantity of organophosphate employed and thislatter value can vary from one candle to another, but is usually lessthan about 25 weight percent (total weight basis).

Another example of a generally undesired side effect occasionally seenwith additive usages is the so-called bleeding effect. Thus, a freshlymade candle made i with certain glycerides can tend to bleed withinabout 24 hours of initial fabrication. This bleeding effect can bepromoted or suppressed through the use of additives. Also, a candle ofthis invention can sometimes show a tendency to bleed during normalburning, particularly in the region where the candle body is warmed bythe flame about the wick. After the wick is extinguished, the exuded oilmay be reabsorbed by the candle body. It appears common that candle bodystruc.-'

tures with components (i.e., too little ethyl cellulose, too muchadditive, or the like) exhibit oil exudation within 24 hours aftermanufacture.

In general, candle body structures that tend to bleed oil upon beingmanually squeezed between a pair of fingers at room temperature andpressure also tend to bleed oil during burning, although it appears thatmost if not all such oil so bled from such candle body structure isabsorbed back into the candle bodies upon cooling after the wicks areextinguished. Castor oil, for example, seems to give candle bodystructures which when balanced (a generally optimized blend of ethylcellulose, glyceride and/oradditive of the latter is present) apparentlyexude substantially no oil when pressured manually between a pair offingers, or when burned, even for indefinite periods of time over thelife of a candle. it is possible that a candle body structure whichexudes an excessive amount of oil at room temperature and pressure cancatch fire after the wick thereof is ignited. Illustrations of suchadditives in particular candle bodies are shown in Table ll below.

Footnotes f0? Tau en;

1. Composition included l5 weight percent ethyl cellulose and weightsafflower oil (100 weight percent basis). 7 I

2. Composition included 15 weight percent ethyl cellulose and 61 weightcorn oil (100 weight percent ba sis).

3. Composition included 15 weight percent ethyl cellulose and 65 weightcastor oil weight percent basis).

4. Composition included 15 weight percent ethyl cellulose and 65 weightcastor oil (100 weight percent basis).

TABLE II Additive Comment good structure, good flame but sweats illi lL'Zlc'iti I07:

abietyl alcohol 81 glycerol ester 20% of rosin 107 (1) badlynonyl-phcnol-(polyethoxy) -ethano synergism. light color structure nol20% (2) but it bleeds.

isosteuric acid 4% houvv mint-rail oil 15% (3) clear, medium flame,bleeding.

sum fully :Icid 5% lmivl lt' rHtL 207. (4) clear, good flame, bfeeding.

dilultyl phrhnlutc 10X. (5) bleeds while burning, this additive firms Iup structure considerably.

lullyl sit-unite 207. (6) good plastic structure, but tfleeds too much.

5. Composition included 15 weight percent ethyl cellulose and 75 weightcorn oil (100 weight percent basis).

6. Composition included 15 weight percent ethyl cellulose and 55 weightcorn oil (100 weight percent basis).

The bleeding effect is eliminatable by using a mixture .of additives, byreducing the amount of bleedproducing additives or by using a differentsuch additive altogether. or by increasing relatively the total amountof ethyl cellulose present, as respects a given candle body composition.

Certain rosin adducts such as the glycerol ester of pentaerythritol, forexample, inhibit the bleeding effect and are highly compatible with theglyceride and ethyl cellulose mixture. Usually amounts less than about30 weight percent of such a compatible rosin adduct additive (totalcandle body weight basis) are sufficient to inhibit bleeding in a candlebody composition, provided the amount of the bleed-causing glyceridecomponent present in a given candle body is not large enough to overcomethe inhibiting effect of the particular quantity of such rosin adductpresent.

Some additives especially when used in higher amounts within theadditive ranges indicated herein can sometimes produce opacity in acandle body used in this invention (herein termed for convenience theopacity effect). in general, if an additive is used in an amount beyondits solubility limits at a given temperature and pressure in a givenglyceride system, then the resulting candle body can become opaque atleast when cooled. Some candle bodies will remain opaque until thecandle is lighted, then, as the body warms by the flame about the wick,the region warmed becomes transparent for so long as the body remainssuitably so warmed.

Hydrogenated glycerides by themselves can tend to result inopacification of a candle body, apparently. In addition, additives suchas saturated fatty acids and alcohols, higher esters such as those ofthe spermacetti type, and monoesters of saturated long-chain acids cantend to cause opacity in a candle body of this invention when used inamounts typically above about to weight percent (total weight basis),the exact amount depending upon the individual candle body involved(similarly to the additives causing the torch effect and the bleedingeffect). Illustrations of such additives in particular candle bodies areshown in Table lll below.

Footnotes for Table lll:

1. Balance included 15 percent ethyl cellulose, percent corn oil (100weight percent total weight basis).

2. Balance included 62 percent corn oil, 15 percent ethyl cellulose (lOOweight percent total weight basis).

3. Balance included 15 percent ethyl cellulose, 73 percent corn oil (100weight percent total weight ba' sis).

4. Balance included l5 percent ethyl cellulose and 75 percent corn oilweight percent total weight basis).

5. Balance included 30 percent ethyl cellulose, 59 percent castor oil100 weight percent total weight basis).

6. Balance included 63 percent castor oil, 10 percent safflower oil, 15percent ethyl cellulose. (I00 weight percent total weight basis). Allethyl celluloses used here in Table lll are Hercules K-2OO type.

The opacity effect is eliminatable by minimizing the use of opacifyingadditives, by non-use thereof, and/or by using mixtures of, differentadditives with a glyceride, as those skilled in the art will appreciate.As indicated earlier, candles of this invention preferably have theirbody portions in a transparent condition (as at room temperatures andpressures) so it is preferred to avoid the opacity effect oropacification in candles of this invention.

In general, a given candle body of this invention contains a quantity ofa given additive compound which does not produce a deleterious orunwanted side effect, such as the torch effect or the bleeding effect,and which also preferably does not produce opacification. Owingapparently to the complex nature of the glyceride and ethyl cellulosematerials employed in the candle bodies utilized in this invention, itis unfortunately not possible to make sweeping quantitativegeneralizations about the optimum quantity of some particular additivecompound which should be used in some particular ethylcellulose/glyceride system, or even about the maximum or minimumquantity of such additive compound which could or should be used in suchsystem in all circumstances. The best that can be done is to indicatethe levels at which identified classes and types of; additive compoundsmay be employed in candles of this invention, and also to indicate theknown types of problems which can occur with the use of such TABLE IIIestimated Maximum weight percent (total) usable Additive Commentisostearic acid 5.0 (1) opaque.

lsostearic alcohol 5.0

glvcerol monostearare 5.0

abieryl alcohol 207 (2) semi opaque, turns clear on burning. glycerolmonostearate 3";

isosteai'ic acid 10 7 (3) semi hazy, almost clear, turns clear g lvccrolmonostearate 2.0 on burning.

heavv mineral oil 15% (4) opaque.

cervl alcohol 15% (5) opaque.

isostearvl ulcohol I07 (6) semi hazy, turns clear on burning.spermacetri 2% additive compounds, all of which has been earnestlyundertaken herein to the best of currently available technicalinformation. It is preferred to dissolve additive compounds in theglyceride before adding the ethyl cellulose to the glyceride.Preparation Procedures A candle of this invention can be prepared by anyconvenient procedure, as those skilled in the art will appreciate. Onepreferred procedure is illustrated in FIG. 3 which shows aself-explanatory process flow diagram. In this procedure, one initiallydissolves at a temperature ranging from about 100 to 200 C (preferably160 to 195C) the ethyl cellulose in the glyceride desired to produce auniform, heatfused liquid blend.

Then, by one (preferred) process, one deposits the so-heated andso-produced liquid blend in a mold cavity of predetermined dimensions.This cavity is equipped with a wick extending usually through a midregion thereof in one direction. If the candle body solidifies, next,one cools such so deposited blend in such cavity at least until saidliquid blend solidifies, and, finally, removes, if desired, such sosolidified blend with said wick therein from such mold cavity, therebyseparating the desired candle from such cavity.

By another process, the so-heated and so-produced liquid blend has awick inserted or immersed thereinto, the wick being in an extendedcondition. Thereafter, one removes such so immersed wick from suchliquid blend with a portion of said liquid blend deposited thereon.Next, one cools such so deposited blend while maintaining such resultingwick in a generally vertical configuration at least until such liquidblend solidifies. Finally, one sequentially repeats the preceding stepsuntil a candle body of desired dimensions is built up about such wick.This is one method of making multicolored multilayered candles (eachbeing the same or different in composition).

Preferably the ethyl cellulose used is preliminarily dried, as in anoven at about 100C for about 1 hour. Glass-lined blending kettles orstainless steel kettles are preferably used to avoid or minimizediscoloration in candle bodies. Also direct heating as with a flameshould be avoided for the same reason. Steam-heated, or gas-firedvarnish type kettles provided with adequate stirring are presentlypreferred kettle types. The thicker candle body compositions containinghigher ethyl cellulose contents can be handled better in a heatedBanbury mill than in a simple stirred kettle, and then a blend isconveniently made with the ethyl cellulose, the additive and theglyceride oil within transformed to a desired homogeneous colloid. Theproduct is passed conveniently through a hot two-roll mill before beingmolded into a candle body.

Candle Products Candles of the present invention, as those skilled inthe art will appreciate, can have any convenient form or shape as istrue of conventional candles formed of wax. Fluid candles can be made ifdesired, but candles with solid bodies are much preferred. Aparticularly preferred candle shape is in the conventionalcrosssectionally circular, cylindrically tapered form such as isdepicted in FIG. 1, accompanying this application.

The burning characteristics of the candles of the present invention aresomewhat different from those of conventional paraffin, tallow orBeeswax candles. Thus, while conventional candles are comprised ofmaterials which produce highly luminous flames, in contrast, vegetableand animal oils, although used since antiquity for illumination, produceless luminous flames.

The rate of burning of the conventional candles seems to be generallyhigher than that of a candle of similar hardness of the presentinvention. Generally, just as the rate of burning of a conventionalcandle is affected by the melting point of its constituents so is therate of burning of the candles of this invention affected by the amountof ethyl cellulose present. Thus, for one class of three componentcandle bodies of this invention the higher the amount of ethylcellulose, the slower the rate of burning. This phonomenon occurs fortwo reasons; first, because the softening point of the higher ethylcellulose composition is higher; and, second, because although ethylcellulose burns, it does so with a shorter, not as highly luminous flamecompared, for example to a flame from a paraff'mic candle.

Conventional candles generally have sharper melting and setting points,and seem to conduct heat not as readily as those of the presentinvention. Thus, if one takes a parafln wax candle having a certain typeof wick and a candle of the same size of the present invention equippedwith the same wick and burns therein for the same length of time onewill notice that the sides of this candle of this invention are warmerthan those of the conventional wax candles. This fact makes it possiblefor conventional waxes to form Petals or produce foliating or angelwinged candles. Petals are formed, as those skilled in the artappreciate, when a candle mass has an undersized wick relative to itsmass diameter. During burning a thin wall of unburned wax is formed atthe sides of the candle. When this wass becomes too thin, it bucklesoutwardly, splits down from its own weight and starts the petalformation. The candles of the present invention are warmed uniformly inregion of burning generally apparently moreso than a conventional candleand when in a pet-al" situation they appear to tend to buckle inwardly.A candle of this invention tends to burn generally downwardly forming ahole of about 5 to 15 times that of the diameter of the wick (although Ido not wish to be bound by this estimate) while the conventional candlesgenerally characteristically burn across their top surface. Thischaracteristic makes possible the use of multiple wicks in candles ofthis invention.

One can formulate candles of the present invention which are initiallyhazy, semi-hazy and all-together opaque and will become completely clearupon burning. Certain of the additives listed elsewhere herein such asthe saturated higher alcohol and acids, hydrogenated glycerides, and thelike, if used at a relatively high concentration will form such hazycandle body compositions. These bodies when warmed somewhat, such asoccurs during the normal burning of a candle, turn completely clear. Ifsuspended inert decorative objects are positioned in the candle mass(coins, metalic flowers, and the like during fabrication), these objectswill appear a few minutes after illumination starts apparently becausethe rise in temperature throughout the mass of the candle and especiallythe top portion, during illumination extends the limits of solubility ofthat particular additive in the rest of the ingredients, although I donot wish to be bound by theory herein. Generally candles of thisinvention lend themselves to creations not possible with conventionalparaffinic candles. For one thing, conventional paraffinic candle bodiestypically could not be perfumed with more than about 2 to 3 weightpercent perfume oil without the appearance of esthetically unpleasantbleeding. It is now possible to make candles that contain several timeshigher weight percentages of perfume oil concentrations using thepresent invention. Also, due to the fact that candles of this inventionburn downwardly rather radially symmetrically, outwardly with the wickvertically positioned, one could use various different perfumes and evencolorants at various portions of the candle structure. It is thuspossible and practical to have several multicolored, multiperfumedregions or layers in a structure. Because the amount of ethyl celluloseused in a candle controls somewhat the rate of burning, it is possibleto create softer compositions around a wick which are, in turn,encircled with a higher softening point composition, all compositionsbeing as described in this invention. The later or radially outwardportions can be decorated with inert decorative objects such as coins,pearling agents, and the like which can be suspended in a candle bodyduring the molding process.

One preferred form of candle of the present invention has a small solidbody, or a plurality of solid small bodies imbedded within the clearethyl cellulose and glyceride composition, so that a special decorativeeffect may be achieved, such bodies being introduced into the candlebody during the molding process. Such a decorative candle of the presentinvention is illus trated in FIG. 2.

Characteristically, candles of this invention display an aging tendencybecause of oxidation of the glyceride portion thereof due to the actionof ultraviolet light and atmospheric oxygen which combination serves toinduce the well-known free-radical oxidation of olefinic double bonds(such being present in typical candle bodies used in this invention).The effects of such oxidation can sometimes be determined in about amonth's time following fabrication if a candle is continuously open inair and in daylight. However, if the sample is maintained in air but isnot exposed to daylight, then the effects of such oxidation cansometimes be determined in about four months time following fabrication.As a result of the effects of oxidation, those candle body compositionswhich are brittle tend to soften with age, and those body compositionswhich display an initial tendency to exude glyceride oil (as whenmanually squeezed) seem to loose this tendency, or to have a reducedsuch tendency, with aging in air. In addition, the burning rate of anaged candle of this invention tends to be somewhat suppressed comparedto that of a freshly made, or adequately preserved, candle, and, also, acertain blackness can develop in an aged, combusting candle body owingto the above-indicated oxidation. Such blackness appears to be morepronounced with the drying and semidrying oil type glycerides than withother types. Oxidation may progress to such a degree as to make a candleof this invention seem to burn only with difficulty when a wick isignited. This oxidation, however, seems to take place only at thesurface of a candle body mass. Thus, if a portion of the film formed onthe body surface by scraping or the like, especially around the wick,the resulting candle burns with a flame comparable to that of a freshlymade candle. Apparently the film formed around the body mass sort ofseals the rest of the candle body from atmospheric oxygen and thusretards further oxidation during actual combustion.

To offset such oxidation effects, conventional, compatible u-v absorbersmay be incorporated into the formulation of a candle body of thisinvention. Suitable UV absorbers are known to the prior art and includebenzophenone type materials (such as 2,4 dihydroxybengophenone or2-Hydroxy-4-n-octyl Benzophenone). Such absorbers are usually employedin amounts less than about 5 weight percent (total candle body weightbasis). Besides UV absorbers, common antioxidants of the phenolic type,such as butylated hydroxy toluene (BHT), butylated hydroxy anisole(BHA), diamyl phenol, 2, 6-tertiarybutyl-para-cresol, and the like, canbe used, usually at levels of about 3 weight percent or less (samebasis). UV absorbers and antioxidants are preferably added to acompletely dis solved mixture of glyceride and ethyl cellulose to avoidpotential discoloration problems.

EMBODIMENTS The present invention is further illustrated by reference tothe following Examples. Those skilled in the art will appreciate thatother and further embodiments are obvious and within the spirit andscope of this invention from the teachings of these present Examplestaken with the accompanying specification and drawings.

Examples 1 A series of candles of the present invention are prepared.For each candle, the procedure followed involves first heating theglyceride to a temperature in the range from about l60 to 200C. Thenethyl cellulose is gradually added until dissolution and homogeneity areobtained. Since dissolution and homogeneity are facilitated through theuse of mixing, in these examples, a so-called lightening mixture" isutilized to mix together the glyceride and the ethyl cellulose withinthe temperature range indicated. In general, the ethyl cellulose swellsas it dissolves, and the more it swells, the clearer the resultingmixture becomes. Bubbles characteristically form during this mixingprocess, but these bubbles usually collapse substantially completely atthe end of the dissolution process; in fact, the collapse of bubbles maybe taken as a sign that dissolution is substantially complete. Near thecompletion of ethyl cellulose dissolution, the mixture temperature isreduced to a level about l60l70C to avoid and minimize any discolorationin the product composition, such as seems to be sometimes induced byoverheating when all or substantially all the bubbles have beeneliminated. Finally, the product composition is cast into a glass orpolyolefin mold each having a diameter of l to 2 inches of predeterminedcylindrical dimensions. Each mold is equipped with a wick axiallylocated in said mold.

After solidification, the resulting candle is ready for use. Unlessotherwise noted, or unless the mold is glass, the candle is removed fromthe mold and burned. The results are summarized in Tables lV through VIbelow.

TABLE I Glyceride Ethyl Cellulose Dissolution Comments Example TypeAmount (1) Amount (2) Ethoxyl Viscosity Time No. wt. wt. content (3)(cps) (4) (min.)

1. Olive Oil 85 47.9-49.0 100 structure semiopaque, brittle,

burns for l/2 hour then stops due to accumulation of ash.

2. 85 15 47.9-49 300 structure firmer than #Lsame comments as above 3.85 15 45.5-46.8 200 25 strength of structure between #1 8 #2. Stillscmiopaque and brittle burns with small flame to the end, in 3 l/2hours.

4. castor oil 85 15 45.5-46.8 100 mass solft, sticky compositiondiscolors upon heating, flame stops in 1 hour.

5. 85 15 47.9-49 300 discolor; badly, brittle structure, sticky, flamesmall, stops in 1/2 hour.

6. 85 T5 45.0-46.5 200 30 less discoloration than =5, sticky brittle,semiopaquc, burns with small flame to th e end soy-bean 85 15 i q 200 25light color, cloudy, brittle, bleeds oil oil in squeezing -good flame,burns to the end.

8. Peanut 85 15 45.5-46.5 200 15 light color, cloudy, brittle, bleedsoil in squeezing-good flame, burns to the end.

9. sunflower 85 15 45.5-46.5 200 20 light color, cloudy, brittle, bleedsoil in squeezing-good flame, burns to the end 10. I 85 15 45.5-46.5 20020 light color, cloudy, brittle, bleeds oil in squeezing-good flame,burns to the end.

11. sesame oil 85 15 45.5-46.5 200 30 light color, cloudy, brittle,bleeds oil in squeezing-good flame, burns to the end.

12. linseed oil 85 15 45.5-46.5 200 15 best two component system, af ecas tor oil. dark'color. bad odor.

l3. tung oil 85 15 45.5-46.5 200 20 opaque, brittle, green color, bad

odor.

14. castor oil 85 15 45.5-46.8 200 15 soft, clear, not much bleeding in.corn oil as 15 45.5-46.8 5000 120 lfiitf z iih i s gttggigit 52 5RP 3 fl ithoiiy l contentbas ed on 100 weight percent total *FOOTNOTES TABLEIVethyl Ceu,oSe

1. Weight percent Glyceride based on 100 weight 4. Viscosity incentiposes measured as a 5 weight perpercent total candle bodycomposition. cent concentration at 25C. bases in a :20 toluene/e- 2.Weight percent Ethyl cellulose based on thanol solution using a sampledried for 30 minutes at weight percent total candle body composition. 45100C.

Ethyl Cellulose Ex mpl Additive ssolution Comments No. ype mountiscosity Time (4) min.)

lo. olelcucid l0 45.5-46.8 5000 soyo tty acid 5ft owcr Sill CI si-snmc111 1 11 45.5-46.8 200 Glivc 45.5-46.8 200 TABLE v -continued ExampleGlyceride Additive Ethyl Cellulose Dissolution Commems Amount (1) TypeAmount(5) Amount(2) lithoxyl Viscosity Time Type \vt. I. wt. wt.content(3) (cps) (4) (min.)

34. safflower 52 isostearic l l5 45.5-46.8 200 15 (24) 81 olive oil 23acid 35 corn oil 75 buivl 1O 15 45.5-46.8 200 40 (25) stearate 36. cornoil 75 isostearic 5 acid & l5 45.5-46.8 200 15 (26) isostcaric 5 alcohol37. safflower 65 glycerol 20 15 45.5-46.8 200 15 (27) oil ester of rosin38. 55 glycerol 20 ester of rosin 8t 15 45.5-46.8 200 15 (28) isostearic1O acid 39. 55 glycerol 20 ester of 15 45.5-46.8 200 I5 (29) rosin &hydrogenat- :d rosin 3'. 5" .Nl'... l h i-Lfi. .Z. l2 C ll -i N os s .s21m [2 .ll 12. llllIlWUl' .55 H- MAH 7 i k ml L'slc'i ul rosin 2t)415.468 5 (I32) rll llll LLB-"@915" m-..

43. s lffluwcr 5i) 2\') 45. 5-46. 8 200 7 (3'3) |)ll 44. corn ml ()5.3171 20 I5 45.5-46.8 200 a 777 p'lt'noxyxvlwtlioxy) -15. msiur oil 58cL.'l "'n Ilcohol & ll) diliultl- 3U 45.5-46.8 200 ll) (35) p'itlnlntc 246. 55 (lihutyl phth'llate 15 3t) 45.5-46. 8 200 10 (36) 47. c-Isror oil64 isosrcuryl l0 sifflowcr 10.0 ulc-lhul l5 45.5-45.8 200 10 (37)SDLXIHACCIII I. 0 V 48. Castor oil heavy lubri 1O 45.5-46.8 2'00 15 (38)cating oil 49. Castor oil dibutyl- 15 30 45.5-46.8 200 15 (39) phthalate50. Castor oil 30 isostearic 2O 5O 45.5-46.8 200 18 (40) alcohol 51.Safflower 50 glycerol 10 ester of Rosin l cohols 2O 2O 45.5-46.8 200 10(41) 52. Castor oil 75 Soya fatty l0 l5 45.5-46.8 200 12 (42) acids 53.safflower 65 Arlamgl E 2O 15 45.5-46.8 200 5 (43) *FOOTNOTES- TABLE Vesthetically unacceptable. Because the high viscosity L Same as footnote1 of Table L ethyl cellulose IS difficult to dissolve the finished prod2. Same as footnote 2 of Table L uct 1S highly; d scolored. ljilamestopsdm 30 minute: dge 3. Sa e as footnote 3 of Table l ql2:(3Cl.lfl'll.l atlOl'l 0 OX! atlon PTO UCtS aroun e 4. Same asfootnote 4 of Table 1. Each of the ethyl cel- Y h b luloses used in thisTable is a Hercules material; the ame ast e a f' 8. Candle structure issoft, clear, exudes Oll in 24 hours,

200 cps material is always the Hercules K200.

5. Weight percent additive based on weight percent total candle bodycomposition.

6. Structure of resulting candle is soft, pliable, sticky and exhibitsthe torch effect after 3 minutes of burning.

9. Candle structure is not soft as that of example 18, but it is stillsoft. lt exhibits the torch effect more reluctantly, but it stillcatches fire. lt exudes less oil than example l8.

l0. Candle structure is harder than that of l8, 19; still rather soft.it burns without exhibiting the torch effect although a minimum oilexudation occurs after 3 days.

I 1. Structure a bit soft, but burns well. Suitable for a candle that isenclosed in a glass container.

12. Soft structure, bleeds oil in 24 hours, exhibiting the torch effectin 3 minutes.

13. Light color, no bleeding at room temperature, very good structure,burns very well. Some oil exudation occurs during burning, butpractically all of this oil is absorbed with several hours after coolingdown to room temperature. It produces an odor similar to that of butyricacid on burning due to a probable degradation of isostearic acid tobutyric acid.

l4. Same comments as in comment l3, structure is firmer, harder. Allglycerides except castor oil show aging effects due to air oxidationcatalized by UV. light. Remedies for this are discussed in the sectionthat deals with preservatives.

15. Same comments as in comment 13, except there is not butyric acidodor on burning.

l6. Firmer structure than example 25, again no butyric acid odor, bothexamples 25 and 26 are good free standing candles.

l7. Lighter color than example 23, and also a bit softer than example23. Other comments: the same as comment l3.

18. A bit lighter color than example 23, also softer than example 23. Itexhibits a shorter dissolution time.

19. Examples 27 through 31 exhibit very similar properties. They showedgood firm free standing structures that burn well with some oilexudation while burning. Most of this oil is absorbed back upon coolingexcept some at the base.

20. same as the preceeding.

21. same as the preceeding.

22. Firmer than example 23, but a bit hazy, also it burns with a smallerflame. Apparently tall oil fatty acids do not have quite the samesynergistic effect that isostearic acid, oleic acid, and soya fattyacids have when combined with a triglyceride and ethyl cellulose.

23. Olive oil and tung oil do not produce clear structures with fattyacids. Apparently the synergistic effect does not work in these twocases.

24. ln example 33, comment 23, it was noted that olive and tung oil donot produce clear structures with fatty acids. If a blend of olive oilwith other oils like corn, safflower, etc. is made the synergisticeffect of the fatty acids appears again. This structure is as good as 23or 25. Structure is a bit hazy, exudes oil on squeezing. Esters likeisopropyl stearate, isopropyl isostearate, isopropyl palmitate, behavesimilarly. The synergistic effect shown by fatty acids is not aspronounced here. Although esters-triglyceride-ethyl cellulosecompositions are better that the two component triglyceride-ethylcellulose, the combination of esters-fatty acidstriglycerides-ethylcellulose give certain special effects to candles that possess suchcombinations, like higher flame. The fatty alcohols act very similarlyto esters. Both esters and fatty alcohols combine very successfully whenthe triglyceride is castor oil. For as it is mentioned elsewhere castoroil does not produce brittle and semi hazy two phase compositions withethyl cellulose.

Brittleness and semi hazy compositions are typical of many non-castoroil containing triglyceride starting systems evaluated. Fatty alcoholsand esters do not shorten glyceride dissolution time as much as fattyacids.

26. As noted in comment 25, fatty alcohols and esters do not show thepronounced synergistic effect of the fatty acids. Combinations of fattyacids-fatty alcohols or esters do so, however. This is a light, clear,firm structure.

27. Very good, very hard structure, good flame, it smokes here andthere. Glycerol, pentaerythritol, ethylene glycol and methyl esters ofrosin exhibit a synergistic effect which is not as pronounced withordinary fatty esters. The glycerol ester of rosin seems to be better inthis respect than the rest of the esters. As opposed to fattyesters-fatty acids compatibility, however, there is incompatibilitybetween rosin esters-nonrosin-fatty acids as seen below, especially atlow ethyl cellulose concentrations (comment 28).

28. Incompatibility, structure bleeds oil.

29. Good structure, compatible, as good as example 37. Rosin esters arecompatible with rosin itself (whether hydrogenated, dehydrogenated ordisproportionated).

30. Highly compatible, very hard structure, as good as example 37, butharder with smaller flame. Only congo gum at the same concentration isharder. Congo gum is also very dark and thus unsuitable. Singaporedamargum was not as compatible as congo and elemi gum. 31. Castor oil againis our exception in that it makes a soft composition with gum elemi, aswell as congo gum, and glycerol esters of rosin. These compositions maybe suitable for a glass container not free standing candles.

32. A bit discoloration. as good as 37, good flame. Some oil exudationat the base after burning the candle for some time.

33. Good structure, firmer than example 42, less oil exudation onburning candle than 42.

34. Fair, a bit hazy, but good elastic structure fair flame.

35. Excellent structure, no bleeding, burns heavily around wick. Verygood for free standing candle. 10 percent cetyl alcohol seems to be thelimit in this formula without causing the opaqueness' effect.

36. Very good structure, light color, burns heavily around wick.

37. Very good firm structure, kept in glass container. Good flame. 38.Structure very hard for a two component system. Considerablediscoloration due to prolonged heating. Small flame, but candle burnedto the end.

39. Very good candle structure, very good flame, burns a little heavilyaround the wick.

40. Hard structure; exhibits the torch effect.

41. Very hard structure, burns with good flame, minimum oil exudationwhile it burns. Most of this oil is reabsorbed by the candle structureupon cooling of the g nqlg wsaw 42. Composition softer than example 25Table I]. medium flame. V 7 43. Composition a bit hazy. it produces avery good flame. Exuded oil is reabsorbed upon cooling. (Arlamole E isthe trade mark for a polypropylene glycol fatty radical made by l.C.l.of America formerly Atlas Chemical.

TABLE VI 1.11/12 111 Table ll Candle dimension .gxrimfiic's examplesWicktype size Comments 23 Atkins & Pearce 1 1/8 x 1 6/8, Free Standingwick burns an area of 5/8" around metal w re w it. Structure takes 3 1/2hours 44-32-18 to burn completely wick burns an area of 1 1/8" 55 53around it. It burns in 2 hours & 45 minutes. wick burns 6/8 around it.It 56. 26 takes 3 hours 8: 45 minutes to burn Atkins Pearce wick burnsan area of 1" around 26 metalwlck it. 2 hours and minutes Atkins &Pearce wick burns an area of 1 1/8" 58' 26 3 square braided around it.it takes lhour and 45 wick minutes to burn. It smokes due to largeflame. 59' 26 A g. p 4; la wick burns 1" around it. it takes lflfledwick (1) .2 hours to burn (;0 .57 A & P 44-32-18 1 1/8 x 1 6/8; FreeStanding smokes the least of this group 61. 37 A 81 P 60-44-18 smokes A81 P #3 square 62, 39 braided wick smokes 63. 51 A & P 44-32-18 smallflame, no smoke 64 51 A 81 P #3 square braided wick some smoke (15 S1 A8; 1 60-44-18 some smoke A 81 P #11 square in glass container of 2 5/8"wick burns an area of 1 1/2" 66. 52 braided wick diameter around it.Smokes here &

there, too large for this container 'A 8! P #3 square wick burns an areaof 1 1/2" 67. braided wick around it. Smokes here 81 there, too largefor this conrainer-a bit better than 4 l3.

* FOOTNOTES TABLE VI 1. The designation of A & P disignates Atkins &Pearch company of Cincinatti, Ohio. Example 68 Composition of candle: 1.Castor oil 64.0 2. lsostearyl alcohol 10.0 3. Santopen 67 (antioxidant)1.0 4. safflower oil 10.0 5. Ethyl cellulose 200 cps 15.0 (Hercules K200type) Ingredients 1 through 4 are heated to 180C in a 500 cc glassbeaker and ethyl cellulose is added while mixing the mixture with alightning mixer. Dissolution is complete in about 10 minutes; A glasscontainer of 3 inches diameter and 5'inches height is used to hold thecandle contents. The above described hot uniform mixture is poured intothe glass up to 1 inch height from the bottom. Then a wire wick isinserted in the center and held there straight. The lower part of theglass container is forcibly cooled in a water bath of 10C. When themixture in the glass is semisolid or starts to set two previouslypolished dimes are inserted in a non-flat position. The coolingcontinues till the whole mass in the glass has solidified completely.Then more of the molten mass is poured into the glass container up to 2/2 inches from the bottom. This new layer is cooled till it sets in awater bath. To the remaining molten mass in the 500 cc glass containeris added a red oil soluble color (DuPont) and a perfume composition thatis fit for a red color. (imitation carnation) After mixing until uniformat 170C and after the bubbles rise to the top, the system is poured intoa glass mold. The final composition in each glass container containsthree layers; the bottom one is light yellow in color with two dimessuspended in it; the second layer is the same color with nothingsuspended in it; the third layer is red in color and perfumed with 3percent perfume. The above described procedure is used to create similarother effects as well as radially layered compositions. Thus a 2 inchesX 2 inches candle structure with the above described composition isformed, taken out of the glass mold and placed at the center of a newmold of 3 inches X 3 inches diameter. Then, a harder composition ispoured around the 2 inches X 2 inches structure. The temperature of thisresulting outside layer on pouring does not exceed the melting point ofthe inside softer composition. This outside layer comprises:

Weight 71 Total Composition Components 1. Castor oil 61.0 2. Cctylalcohol 7.0 3. Dibutyl phthulutc 2.0 4. Ethyl cellulose, 200 cps 30.0

mold, but not touching the walls before pouring the (total candle bodyweight basis), the total amount of higher softening point compositionaround the 2 inches any given such additive used in any given saidcandle X 2 inches candle. body being generally insufficient to causeeither the The claims are: torch effect or the bleeding effect. 1. Acandle comprising a body having therein a wick, 5 9. The candle of claim6 additionally containing less than about 10 weight percent (totalcandle body weight A. said body comprising on a 100 weight percentbasis) of an organophosphate.

basis a thermoplastic blend of 10. The candle of claim 6 additionallycontaining less I. from about 6 to 55 weight percent ethyl Cellulosethan about 30 weight percent (total candle body weight and 10 basis) ofa material selected from the class consisting 2. from about 45 to 94weight percent of at least f osin add cts,

one glyceride, 11. The candle of claim 5 wherein said triglyceride is B.said wick being adapte IO selected from the group consisting of cornoil, soybean 1. be impregnated by said blend when said blend is il d ffliL in a heated, liq ifie o and l5 12. The candle of claim 1 wherein saidglyceride is PrOl/ide Capillary action for Such heated, q selected fromthe group consisting of semi-drying oils fled form of said blend, a dnon-drying oils, C. the combination of said body and said wick being 13,Th dl f l i 1 h i id l id Such that, an pp 0 of i is comprises fromabout 1 to 30 weight percent of at least generally lertlcalConfiguratlon lgmted, 531d one glyceride oil from the group consistingof safflower Wick bums Wlth a gener?lly lummolls flame and oil, cornoil, soybean oil, and olive oil mixed with a balcombusts gradually bothitself and said body. ance up to 100 Weight percent f Castor 2. Thecandle of claim 1 wherein said wick comprises 14' The candle f claim 1wherein i body i a plurality of combustible, organic fibrous membersstantiany transparem disposed in f x adjacen} P to W 15. The candle ofclaim 6 wherein said body is subother and wherem said body is in a solidor semi-solid stamiany transparem form at room temperatures and P 16. Aprocess for making a candle comprising the 3. The candle of claim 1wherein said wick and said Steps of: I Q are Substantially compietelycombusted as Sald A. dissolving at a temperature ranging from about Wick59 bums- 100 to 200C. from about 6 to 55 weight percent f- The Candle ofclam 1 531d blend ethyl cellulose in from about 45 to 94 weight perl (a)m about 15 to 45 Welght 139mmt of ethyl cent glyceride on a 100 weightpercent total basis cellulose having an ethoxyl content of from about 45to to produce a if heat f d liquid blend, 49 weight percent (totalcellulose basis) and a viscosity depositing the So heated and Somroducedliquid of from about 50 to 300 centipoises when measured as blend in a lcavity f predetermined di a 5 613m P c9ncentfauon 25 C "I 8020 sions,said cavity having a wick extending through toluene/ethanol solutionusing a sample dried for 30 a mid region thereof in one direction, Saidwick mmutes at and fromflbiut 5 to 85 we'ght comprising a plurality ofcombustible fibrous mempercent of at least one triglyceride having amolecular hers in generally adjacent relationship to one am weght aboveabout 40 other and adapted to 5. The candle of claim 4 wherem saidtriglyceride is I L be impregnated by Said bkmd when in a heated Castorliquified form, and

6. The candle of claim 1 wherein said body has lncorprovide capillaryaction for Such heated, liqui porated theremto from 0 up to about 40weight percent fled form of Said blend, and

(total candle body weight basis) of at least one additive C cooling Saidso deposited blend selected from the group consisting of (a) organiccompounds containing at least one oxa or at least one oxo group and fromabout 7 through carbon atoms per molecule, and (b) viscous petroleumhydrocarbons containing at least about 15 carbon atoms per mole- 50cule, said additive being further characterized by being soluble in cornoil at the rate of 10 parts additive per 100 parts corn oil and byhaving when so dissolved in corn oil the capacity to dissolve ethylcellulose having an ethoxyl content ranging from about 45.0 to 49.0weight percent total ethyl cellulose basis in such com 17. The processof claim 15 wherein from about 15 to 45 weight percent ethyl cellulosehaving an ethoxyl content of from about 45 to 49 weight percent (totalcentipoises when measured as a 5 weight percent concentration at 25C inan :20 toluene/ethanol solution using a sample dried for 30 minutes at100C, is dissolved in from about 55 to weight percent of at least onetriglyceride having a molecular weight above about 650 (total l00 weightpercent composition basis).

oil solution at the rate of about 20 parts by weight of The Process ofclaim 17 wherein Said triglyceride such ethyl cellulose per parts byweight of such Castor corn oil solution at about l80C within a timeinterval 19. The process of claim 16 wherein said glyceride of about 15minutes, the total amount of any given such 60 initially has dissolvedtherein from 0 up to about 40 additive used in any given said candlebody being genweight percent, total compsition weight basis, of aterally insufficient to cause either the torch effect, or least oneadditive selected from the group consisting of the bleeding effect. (a)organic compounds containing at least one oxa or 7. The candle of claim6 wherein the amount of any at least one oxo group and from about 7through 50 given such additive used in any given said candle body 65carbon atoms per molecule, and (b) viscous petroleum is additionallygenerally insufficient to cause opacity. hydrocarbons containing atleast about 15 carbon 8. The candle of claim 6 wherein said additive isematoms per molecule, said additive being further characployed at therate of from about 3 to 20 weight percent terized by being soluble incorn oil at the rate of 10 cellulose basis) and a viscosity of fromabout 50 to 300 parts additive per 100 parts corn oil and by having whenso dissolved in corn oil the capacity to dissolve ethyl cellulose havingan ethoxyl content ranging from about 45.0 to 49.0 weight percent totalethyl cellulose basis in such corn oil solution at the rate of about 20parts by weight of such ethyl cellulose per 100 parts by weight of suchcorn oil solution at about 180C within a time interval of about lminutes. the total amount of any given such additive used in any givensaid composition being generally insufficient to cause either the torcheffect/or the bleeding effect.

20. The process of claim 19 wherein the amount of any given suchadditive used in any given said composition is additionally generallyinsufficient to cause opacity in the resulting cooled such composition.

21. A process for making a candle comprising the steps of:

A. dissolving at a temperature ranging from about 100 to 200C. fromabout 6 to 55 weight percent ethyl cellulose in from about 45 to 94weight percent glyceride on a 100 weight percent total basis to producea uniform, heat fused liquid blend,

B. immersing a wick in an extended condition in said liquid blend, saidwick comprising a plurality of combustible fibrous members in generallyadjacent relationship to one another and adapted to 1. be impregnated bysaid blend when in a heated,

liquified form, and 2. provide capillary action for such heated,liquifled form of said blend,

C. removing said so immersed wick from said liquid blend with a portionof said liquid blend deposited thereon,

D. cooling said so-deposited blend while maintaining said resulting wickin a generally vertical configuration at least until said liquid blendsolidifies, and

E. sequentially repeating steps (B), (C) and (D) until a body of desireddimensions is built up about said wick.

22. The candle of claim 1 wherein said ethyl cellulose is substantiallyashless.

23. The candle of claim 6 wherein said ethyl cellulose is substantiallyashless.

1. A CONDLE COMPRISING A BODY HAVING THEREIN A WICK, A. SAID BODYCOMPRISING ON A 100 WEIGHT PERCENT BASIS A THERMOPLASTIC BLEND OF 1.FROM ABOUT 6 TO 55 WEIGHT PERCENT OF AT LEAST ONE
 1. BE IMPREGNATED BYSAID BLEND WHEN SAID BLEND IS IN A HEATED, LIQUIFIED FORM, AND 2.PROVIDE CAPILLARY ACTION FOR SUCH HEATED, LIQUIFIED FORM OF SAID BLEND,C. THE COMBINATION OF SAID BODY AND SAID WICH BEING SUCH THAT, WHEN ANUPPER END OF SAID WICK IS IN A GENERALLY VERTICAL CONFIGURATION AND ISIGNITED, SAID WICK BURNS WITH A GENERALLY LUMINOUS FLAME AND COMBUSTSGRADUALLY BOTH ITSELF AND SAID BODY.
 2. FROM ABOUT 45 TO 55 94 WEIGHTPERCENT OF AT LEAST ONE GLYCERIDE, B. SAID WICK BEING ADAPTED TO
 2. Thecandle of claim 1 wherein said wick comprises a plurality ofcombustible, organic fibrous members disposed in generally adjacentrelationship to one another and wherein said body is in a solid orsemi-solid form at room temperatures and pressures.
 2. from about 45 to94 weight percent of at least one glyceride, B. said wick Being adaptedto
 2. provide capillary action for such heated, liquified form of saidblend, C. the combination of said body and said wick being such that,when an upper end of said wick is in a generally vertical configurationand is ignited, said wick burns with a generally luminous flame andcombusts gradually both itself and said body.
 2. provide capillaryaction for such heated, liquified form of said blend, C. removing saidso immersed wick from said liquid blend with a pOrtion of said liquidblend deposited thereon, D. cooling said so-deposited blend whilemaintaining said resulting wick in a generally vertical configuration atleast until said liquid blend solidifies, and E. sequentially repeatingsteps (B), (C) and (D) until a body of desired dimensions is built upabout said wick.
 2. provide capillary action for such heated, liquifiedform of said blend, and C. cooling said so-deposited blend.
 3. Thecandle of claim 1 wherein said wick and said body are substantiallycompletely combusted as said wick so burns.
 4. The candle of claim 1wherein said blend comprises (a) from about 15 to 45 weight percent ofethyl cellulose having an ethoxyl content of from about 45 to 49 weightpercent (total cellulose basis) and a viscosity of from about 50 to 300centipoises when measured as a 5 weight percent concentration at 25*C inan 80:20 toluene/ethanol solution using a sample dried for 30 minutes at100*C, and (b) from about 55 to 85 weight percent of at least onetriglyceride having a molecular weight above about
 650. 5. The candle ofclaim 4 wherein said triglyceride is castor oil.
 6. The candle of claim1 wherein said body has incorporated thereinto from 0 up to about 40weight percent (total candle body weight basis) of at least one additiveselected from the group consisting of (a) organic compounds containingat least one oxa or at least one oxo group and from about 7 through 50carbon atoms per molecule, and (b) viscous petroleum hydrocarbonscontaining at least about 15 carbon atoms per molecule, said additivebeing further characterized by being soluble in corn oil at the rate of10 parts additive per 100 parts corn oil and by having when so dissolvedin corn oil the capacity to dissolve ethyl cellulose having an ethoxylcontent ranging from about 45.0 to 49.0 weight percent total ethylcellulose basis in such corn oil solution at the rate of about 20 partsby weight of such ethyl cellulose per 100 parts by weight of such cornoil solution at about 180*C within a time interval of about 15 minutes,the total amount of any given such additive used in any given saidcandle body being generally insufficient to cause either the torcheffect, or the bleeding effect.
 7. The candle of claim 6 wherein theamount of any given such additive used in any given said candle body isadditionally generally insufficient to cause opacity.
 8. The candle ofclaim 6 wherein said additive is employed at the rate of from about 3 to20 weight percent (total candle body weight basis), the total amount ofany given such additive used in any given said candle body beinggenerally insufficient to cause either the torch effect or the bleedingeffect.
 9. The candle of claim 6 additionally containing less than about10 weight percent (total candle body weight basis) of anorganophosphate.
 10. The candle of claim 6 additionally containing lessthan about 30 weight percent (total candle body weight basis) of amaterial selected from the class consisting of rosin adducts.
 11. Thecandle of claim 5 wherein said triglyceride is selected from the groupconsisting of corn oil, soybean oil and safflower oil.
 12. The candle ofclaim 1 wherein said glyceride is selected from the group consisting ofsemi-drying oils and non-drying oils.
 13. The candle of claim 1 whereinsaid glyceride comprises from about 1 to 30 weight percent of at leastone glyceride oil from the group consisting of safflower oil, corn oil,soybean oil, and olive oil mixed with a balanCe up to 100 weight percentof castor oil.
 14. The candle of claim 1 wherein said body issubstantially transparent.
 15. The candle of claim 6 wherein said bodyis substantially transparent.
 16. A process for making a candlecomprising the steps of: A. dissolving at a temperature ranging fromabout 100* to 200*C. from about 6 to 55 weight percent ethyl cellulosein from about 45 to 94 weight percent glyceride on a 100 weight percenttotal basis to produce a uniform, heat fused liquid blend, B. depositingthe so-heated and so-produced liquid blend in a mold cavity ofpredetermined dimensions, said cavity having a wick extending through amid-region thereof in one direction, said wick comprising a plurality ofcombustible fibrous members in generally adjacent relationship to oneanother and adapted to
 17. The process of claim 15 wherein from about 15to 45 weight percent ethyl cellulose having an ethoxyl content of fromabout 45 to 49 weight percent (total cellulose basis) and a viscosity offrom about 50 to 300 centipoises when measured as a 5 weight percentconcentration at 25*C in an 80:20 toluene/ethanol solution using asample dried for 30 minutes at 100*C, is dissolved in from about 55 to85 weight percent of at least one triglyceride having a molecular weightabove about 650 (total 100 weight percent composition basis).
 18. Theprocess of claim 17 wherein said triglyceride is castor oil.
 19. Theprocess of claim 16 wherein said glyceride initially has dissolvedtherein from 0 up to about 40 weight percent, total compsition weightbasis, of at least one additive selected from the group consisting of(a) organic compounds containing at least one oxa or at least one oxogroup and from about 7 through 50 carbon atoms per molecule, and (b)viscous petroleum hydrocarbons containing at least about 15 carbon atomsper molecule, said additive being further characterized by being solublein corn oil at the rate of 10 parts additive per 100 parts corn oil andby having when so dissolved in corn oil the capacity to dissolve ethylcellulose having an ethoxyl content ranging from about 45.0 to 49.0weight percent total ethyl cellulose basis in such corn oil solution atthe rate of about 20 parts by weight of such ethyl cellulose per 100parts by weight of such corn oil solution at about 180*C within a timeinterval of about 15 minutes, the total amount of any given suchadditive used in any given said composition being generally insufficientto cause either the torch effect/or the bleeding effect.
 20. The processof claim 19 wherein the amount of any given such additive used in anygiven said composition is additionally generally insufficient to causeopacity in the resulting cooled such composition.
 21. A process formaking a candle comprising the steps of: A. dissolving at a temperatureranging from about 100* to 200*C. from about 6 to 55 weight percentethyl cellulose in from about 45 to 94 weight percent glyceride on a 100weight percent total basis to produce a uniform, heat fused liquidblend, B. immersing a wick in an extended condition in said liquidblend, said wick comprising a plurality of combustible fibrous membersin generally adjacent relationship to one another and adapted to
 22. Thecandle of claim 1 wherein said ethyl cellulose is substantially ashless.23. The candle of claim 6 wherein said ethyl cellulose is substantiallyashless.